A UNIVERSITY could be on it way to Dudley if ambitious plans come to fruition.

An application is being submitted by Dudley College and the council to the government's Stronger Towns Fund to create a £30 million Dudley Digital and Transport Technologies Centre.

If successful, the centre would include a dedicated centre for higher education, alongside the upcoming £32 million Institute of Technology and the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre which is being developed with Warwick University.

The proposed centre, which is predicted to cost £30 million, will be delivered by Dudley College, Dudley Council and partners in the university centre.

The ambitious scheme has been supported by MPs Ian Austin and Mike Wood, who welcomed Secretary of State James Brokenshire to Dudley last week.

The Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government visited the site of the upcoming Institute on Tipton Road to discuss the plans for the university and the impact it could make on the town.

Speaking after the visit, Ian Austin MP said: "The new Institute of Technology is great news for Dudley, but I’ve got big ambitions for Dudley want to go further so I’m campaigning for a new university centre focused on technical skills and advanced apprenticeships to provide top-level qualifications in Dudley.

"The new centre will help make Dudley a strong town again. It will bring new investment and new jobs to the town and transform the derelict site on Tipton Road.

"It will provide high-level apprenticeships to help local businesses and attract new investment, new businesses and good, stable, well-paid jobs in exciting new high-tech industries like advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, low carbon industries and autonomous, electric vehicles.

"This is exactly what I promised to do at the election and I work hard to keep my promises.

"We lit the spark that fired the industrial revolution, so I want us to do just as well in the new industrial revolution and I want to make sure we get our fair share of the new well-paid jobs it will bring in Dudley."

The plan has also been welcomed by Dudley South MP Mike Wood, who said: “If we are able to secure a university centre in the borough it will be incredibly valuable for the wider area as we look to provide the next generation with the right skills and training for the industries of the future.

“I believe this university centre and further investment in Dudley College could be pivotal in changing young people’s perception of education and the opportunities available to them.

“I know the Communities Secretary shares our vision for the future of the area so it was most appreciated that he took time out of his busy schedule to come and see us.”

It is hoped a university centre in the town will lead to high-skilled jobs in the town and contribute to creating a night time economy.

The government's Stronger Towns Fund allocates money based on a competitive process to areas of the country where economies are lagging and large portions of the population have low skill attainment.

The Institute of Technology is scheduled to open in 2021 and the timetable for the Stronger Towns Fund will be published shortly.